Vnitrni lekarstvi最新文献

Point-of-Care ultrasound (POCUS) is bedside ultrasound examination performed by a clinician. POCUS is a suitable tool for rapid diagnosis and monitoring of the condition of many patients examined by internists in emergency departments and inpatient departments. POCUS allows the examining physician to supplement the physical examination with additional information obtained in real time, and is a useful tool for differential diagnosis of a number of acute conditions (shock, shortness of breath, etc.). Chest POCUS includes an indicative assessment of cardiac function and evaluation of the lung parenchyma, including exclusion of pericardial effusion, pneumothorax or fluidothorax. One of the most common applications of POCUS is to assess the state of the venous filling by examining the inferior vena cava. When examining the abdomen, the internist should at least be able to diagnose fluid in the abdominal cavity and exclude congestion in the hollow system of the kidney. POCUS for internists also includes examination of main venous trunks to rule out proximal venous thrombosis. Even when performing conventional invasive procedures, we cannot do without ultrasound at the bedside, whether it is a puncture of ascites or pleural effusion, or cannulation of the central vein. The advantage of POCUS is the immediate availability of the examination and the possibility to repeat scans when needed for monitoring the patient's condition.

Decisions related to the treatment of oncological diseases bring various ethical dilemmas to healthcare providers caring for cancer patients. Along with the development of medicine and new therapeutic methods, there are also increased demands on the appropriate selection of eligible patients for allocation to a particular treatment method, which causes a number of ethical connotations. The paper deals with ethical issues in the course of oncology treatment, with theoretical bases for ethical decision-making and with ethical aspects of communication with patients suffering from oncological diseases. The paper also contains results of studies that dealt with methods of ethical reasoning of health professionals in relation with the Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) decision in oncology, and with understanding of the concept of ethical competence of health professionals in order to make, or be involved in, DNR decisions, and how relevant skills can be developed. Among others, the results of the studies pointed out that in order to make ethically based DNR decisions in oncology, physicians and nurses need to improve their knowledge of ethical theories.

Osteoporosis is a systemic metabolic disease of the skeleton characterized by low bone strength that results in an increased risk of fracture. Fractures are associated with serious clinical consequences, including pain, disability, loss of independence, and death, as well as high healthcare costs. Early identification and intervention with patients at high risk for fracture is needed to reduce the burden of osteoporotic fractures. The identification of a patient at high risk of fracture should be followed by evaluation for factors contributing to low bone mineral density (BMD) and/or low bone quality, falls, and fractures. Components of the osteological evaluation include an assessment of BMD by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, osteoporosis-directed medical history and physical exam, laboratory studies, and possibly skeletal imaging. Disorders other than osteoporosis, requiring other types of treatment, may be found. This overview summarizes the basic procedures for the diagnosis and differential diagnosis of osteoporosis, which are necessary before starting treatment.

In 2022, the European Society of Cardiology has published updated guidelines for the cardiovascular evaluation and management of patients undergoing non-cardiac surgery. In this article we briefly summarize the most important recommendations with an emphasis on their use in everyday clinical practice - from the complex assessment of cardiovascular risk and prediction of cardiovascular complications, through the indication of basic paraclinical examinations, the importance of biomarkers, adjustments to pharmacotherapy of heart failure, adjustments to anticoagulant and antiplatelet therapy, to other specifics of individual cardiovascular and other diseases and their importance in the perioperative period. Knowledge and use of these recommendations have the potential to improve the prognosis of patients undergoing various types of surgical procedures.

Internal medicine specialists, also known as general internal medicine specialists are specialist physicians trained to manage particularly complex or multisystem disease conditions that single-organ-disease specialists may not be trained to deal with. The management of multimorbidity, however, is often complex, and requires specific clinical skills and corresponding experience in appropriate diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. Multimorbidity is associated with a decline in many aspects of health and in consequence with an increase in hospital admissions, polypharmacy, and use of health care and social resouces. When prescribing medicine to patients with multimorbidity, all the risks and benefits, as well as possible interactions should be carefully considered. The prescription appropriateness can be assessed by validated tools like STOPP-START criteria. Beneficial part of good prescribing is deprescribing - planned and supervised process of dose reduction or withdrawal of medications that are no longer needed in the circumstances of the patient.